Worldwide travel insurance

Can I get travel insurance that covers COVID-19?

Yes, you can still compare and purchase travel insurance with COVID-19 cover from Confused.com. All of our providers offer emergency medical treatment and repatriation (returning to the UK) for COVID-19 claims.

Many of our providers offer further Covid-19 related cover such as holiday cancellations, accommodation costs and denied boarding. Be sure to check the details of your policy carefully as different providers will offer different policy enhancements.

It's important to note that if you travel against advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), you won't be covered by any travel insurance policy you buy.

What is worldwide travel insurance?

Worldwide travel insurance protects you against a range of things that could ruin your holiday.

Depending on your policy, this could include:

Emergency medical expenses
Repatriation costs
Lost baggage
Flight delays
Cancellations

When you get a quote for world wide holiday insurance with Confused.com you can choose between:

Worldwide excluding Canada, Caribbean, Mexico, USA
Worldwide including Canada, Caribbean, Mexico, USA

What countries does worldwide travel insurance cover?

Worldwide travel insurance can cover you for travel to almost anywhere in the world.

Popular destinations global travel insurance will typically cover you for are:

Europe
Asia
Africa
Australia
The Middle East

Healthcare in some places can be pricier than elsewhere, so including some countries can lead to a pricier overall policy.

More expensive policies might also provide you with cover for travel to:

The USA
Canada
The Caribbean
Mexico

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What does worldwide travel insurance cover?

Depending on your policy, worldwide travel insurance could cover:

Emergency medical expenses if you become sick or are injured abroad and need treatment, travel insurance can help you cover the cost.
Repatriation costs if you fall ill or have an accident and need to be flown back to the UK. This could cost thousands of pounds if you don’t have world wide travel insurance in place.
Cancellation and curtailment costs if your flights or accommodation are cancelled, or you have to cancel or cut short your trip due to an illness or injury or, in some cases, a bereavement.
Baggage cover if your luggage is stolen, accidentally damaged or lost. You’ll normally also get cover for personal possessions and a set amount of cash.

There are also a couple of add-ons you may be able to bolt on to your cover. These normally include:

Adventure travel insurance that’ll cover you cover for risky activities like rock climbing and paragliding
Winter sports insurance if you’re going skiing or snowboarding

What doesn't worldwide travel insurance cover?

Worldwide travel insurance usually won’t cover:

Travelling against FCDO advice: You should check the latest Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) guidelines before you travel.
Accidents while intoxicated: Your world wide insurance won’t cover claims for illness, injury or death while intoxicated.
Illegal or malicious activity: You won't be able to claim for for something that happened as the result of illegal or malicious activity on your part.
Undeclared medical conditions: If you knew you had a pre-existing condition and didn’t declare it, you won’t be able to make claims for it on your global travel insurance policy.
Failing to get vaccinated: If you’re going to an area where there’s a risk of contracting a tropical disease like malaria, worldwide travel insurance policies require you to get vaccinated before you travel.
Extreme sports: You need to take out extra cover if you’re going to be doing extreme sports and activities as you won’t be covered by standard world wide insurance.
Natural disasters: Your worldwide travel insurance might not always cover you for natural disasters, so you should check your policy wording.
Changing your mind and cancelling: Your world wide holiday insurance policy can allow you to claim for cancellation due to certain events beyond your control, but not if you’ve just changed your mind.

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Do I need single trip or annual worldwide travel cover?

There are two main types of worldwide travel insurance to choose from:

Single trip travel insurance can be cheaper if you’re only going on one trip during a 12-month period. You’ll be covered from when you leave until you get home. Although you’re only covered for a single trip, it doesn’t have to be for a single destination. You can travel to multiple places on single trip travel insurance as part of the same holiday.
Annual travel insurance can be cheaper if you’ll be going on more than one holiday during a 12-month period as it covers you for an unlimited number of trips. But annual multi-trip insurance only covers you for 31 days at a time during the 12 months, so it’s not suitable if you’re going to be taking longer trips.

How much is worldwide travel insurance?

What you pay for worldwide travel insurance depends on a number of factors. These can include:

Where you’re travelling to as the cost of healthcare in certain areas is pricier than others. This is why you’re often charged more for world wide insurance that includes the USA, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico.
How long you’ll be away for as the longer you’re away, the more you pay.
Your age as the risk of you needing medical treatment goes up the older you get.
Whether you have pre-existing medical conditions as you’ll need to tell us about pre-existing conditions when you get a quote for worldwide travel insurance.

Here are the average costs of worldwide travel insurance policies for different regions around the world:

Destination	Average premium¹
Worldwide inc. US, Canada and Caribbean	£117.35
Worldwide exc. US, Canada and Caribbean	£95.76
Australia and New Zealand	£80.05

1. Confused.com travel data: Average price of all premiums (12 months) March 2021 – March 2022

Things such as medical care usually cost more in the US, Canada, and the Caribbean, so premiums for these countries are normally more expensive.

What our travel insurance expert says

How much medical treatment you’re entitled to can vary in countries all over the world. You can save yourself a shocking medical bill costing you £1000’s, by making sure you’ve got a worldwide travel insurance policy that covers you for all the countries that you plan on visiting.

If that's not enough of a reason for you, buying one policy could save you time and money rather than having to buy single-trip cover for each country that you visit.

Jac Morris

Travel insurance product executive

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Need more help?

What if I have a pre-existing condition?

You can still use Confused.com to get a quote for worldwide travel insurance if you have a pre-existing medical condition. These conditions could include cancer, stroke, serious heart, respiratory and terminal conditions.

Some insurers may not offer you worldwide travel insurance if you already have a serious medical condition, or if you have several conditions. Others might only offer insurance at a much higher price. If you can’t find suitable cover, the Money and Pension Service (MaPS) has set up a directory of insurers willing to cover customers with pre-existing medical conditions.

You can find their directory of insurers on the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) website or you can phone them on 0800 138 7777 for free impartial advice.

Do I need worldwide travel insurance for my gap year?

Worldwide travel insurance is a good idea if you're going on a big trip, but you should always check the policy wording to make sure it’s right for your particular needs. If you’re taking a gap year, then backpacker insurance is a better fit.

Annual worldwide travel insurance will cover you for multiple trips during a 12-month period, but only for up to 31 days per trip. Backpacker travel insurance is ideal if you’re going on a longer trip like a gap year – it can cover multiple destinations for up to 18 months of continuous travel.

Do I worldwide travel insurance if I have a Ghic card?

A Ghic card is good to have but it doesn’t replace worldwide travel insurance. A Ghic card gives you access to state medical care in the EU, so it won’t help you if you’re travelling outside Europe.

If you rely on the Ghic card for medical treatment while travelling in the EU, it doesn’t mean there won’t be any medical bills to pay. With the Ghic card, you pay the same as the locals: depending on the EU country, medical treatment may either be free or offered at a reduced rate.

Aside from limited medical treatment in the EU, the Ghic card won’t provide any of the other benefits you get with worldwide travel insurance, including medical repatriation.

Does worldwide travel insurance cover the UK?

Yes, the UK can be covered as part of a worldwide travel insurance policy. If you’re only travelling in the UK, you can get one of our UK travel insurance policies.

If you need single trip worldwide travel insurance, annual world travellers insurance or backpacker insurance, make sure you list the UK as one of the countries you’ll be visiting when getting a quote.

Or, if you need annual travel insurance or a backpackers policy, just make sure to select the UK as your destination to get cover specifically for travel within the UK.

When should I buy worldwide travel insurance?

You should take out worldwide travel insurance as soon as you’ve booked your holidays. Otherwise, you risk not being covered if your accommodation or flights get cancelled due to unforeseen events. Cancellation cover on worldwide travel insurance starts from the day you select the policy to begin.

At the very latest, you should buy worldwide travel insurance the day before you depart or there's a risk you won't be covered for things like medical costs and lost baggage as well.